No laughing matter as Zola brand falls wide of mark

Middlesbrough 1 West Ham 1

WITH ‘comedian’ Russell Brand as one of your most famous supporters, no wonder West Ham have become a bit of a bad joke lately.

At least they halted a run of four straight defeats at the Riverside. But had Justin Hoyte’s late goal not been disallowed, Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola would have been as popular as one of Brand’s jokes.

Despite the fact they nearly lost as Middlesbrough came on strong at the finish, Zola’s side should have had the game wrapped up by half-time, such was their dominance.

But with only one goal to show for their labours – a rare Hayden Mullins strike – West Ham’s current malaise, an alarming lack of finishing, nearly cost them dear.

Craig Bellamy was arguably the best player on view, but the gobby Welshman – who somehow avoided getting booked until the last minute – despite all his pace and pressure, ultimately could not provide the penetration.

In nine top flight seasons Bellamy has only once broken into double figures. This season Bellamy has one league goal, Carlton Cole three, Dean Ashton two and David Di Michele two – and there is the root of the problem, a chronic lack of fire-power.

That and the small matter of 23 games since they last kept a clean sheet.

They bossed the first half, with Freddie Sears and Jack Collison going closest, but had only Mullins’ finish to underline their supremacy. Mido’s late strike cancelled out Mullins’ goal and the burly Egyptian made a huge difference after going on for the ineffective Afonso Alves.

In fact, Boro were a different side once Justin Hoyte, Julio Arca and Mido went on and a point capped the end of an encouraging week following their 5-0 home thrashing by Chelsea.

“It has been tough for us but to get five points from three games is a decent return,” said Mido. “We know we could have done better but at least we have stayed unbeaten and that gives us something to take forward.”

Just before Mido’s equaliser, Hoyte had a legitimate goal disallowed for offside, but Boro were indebted to keeper Ross Turnbull for a stunning double save with seconds to go which ensured they shared the spoils. However, these are worrying times for Zola.

“We had lost the four games before but what has been encouraging for me is that they are all wanting the ball,” he said. “They believe in themselves and that is such a valuable thing.

“I’m pleased with how it has gone over the first two months and I’m sure the rest will be even better. Is it harder than I thought? Well, it is hard. When I was a player, I thought it looked so easy.”